The Work Media Internet Marketing Blog

Search Engine Optimization(SEO) - Pay-Per-Click Advertising(PPC) - Website Traffic and Path Analysis - Optimized Press Releases - SEO Copywriting - Blogging - Article Writing - Newsletters - Everything you need to know to be successful in your Internet marketing.

Friday, April 27, 2007

Designing for Search Engines - Simpler is Better

We have a client for whom we are managing a small pay-per-click campaign. We are trying to implement tracking, with a conversion being defined as the submission of a form on their site. We need to do this to determine what keywords or ad copy results in the best performance. But we have had a devil of a time getting the tracking to work because the site is built using .NET, so the page with the form submits to itself rather than to a separate confirmation page. And this got us thinking...

Why .NET? Now, we have nothing against .NET (Jerry was employed as a .NET programmer several years ago), but for a small site, we suggest avoiding this kind of technology if it is not necessary. For one thing, you run into problems like we are having now - doing something as basic as implementing a tracking script. It's unwieldy to work with a platform as complicated as .NET. For another thing, a .NET web page will often be returned from the server with a large amount of junk data called "View State". We don't know if the occasion would arise when a query from a search engine robot would return View State, but if it did, it would greatly weaken the on-page optimization of the site.

If you have a small site that you will be updating manually, stick with the basics - preferably good ol' fashion HTML. If you need to use a scripting environment, use something like PHP or ASP, which is much easier to deal with than a compiled environment like .NET that requires a degree in programming to understand.

If you're a Web geek or programmer reading this, you can probably tell us all kinds of reasons why a site built on .NET is desirable. We have no doubt there are many occasions when this is true. But coming strictly from a search engine marketing/optimization perspective, simpler is better. So stick with the basics.

If you need help optimizing your web site for better search engine results, contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or email Info@WorkMedia.net.

Labels: conversion strategy, HTML, internet marketing, scripting, search engine optimization, search marketing, sem, seo, tracking, web marketing, web site marketing

Thursday, April 26, 2007

LookSmart Expands Its Paid Ad Offerings with Contextual Targeting

LookSmart is a lower tier search network that has a pay-per-click advertising model similar to the major search engines. The disadvantage of using LookSmart is that it has only a fraction of the penetration of Google or Yahoo (or even MSN, for that matter). The advantage is that, in general, clicks can be purchased for much less than the big search engines. Work Media has tinkered around with LookSmart in the past. Our initial results were not all that favorable, as conversions were very low. In all fairness, however, we really haven't done enough with LookSmart to draw any kind of valid conclusions.

LookSmart has just launched a contextual targeted distribution model through which you can place paid ads on its FindArticles web site. FindArticles is an interesting site that has (so it claims, at least) 10 million articles from magazines, newspapers, and other sources stored in a searchable database. Some of the articles are free, some of them are considered premium content that requires payment. With LookSmart's new advertising option, you can place relevant ads on articles that pertain to your industry.

You won't generate nearly the amount of traffic you will through the Google or Yahoo content networks, but the traffic will likely cost you much less on a per-click basis. It's definitely another component you might consider for your search strategy as a way to increase your reach and generate cheap traffic. As always, the quality of this traffic should be measured in terms of conversions over some period of time to see if it is worth spending your money on. If it generates a positive return on investment, then stick with it. If not, abandon it.

If you are already a LookSmart advertiser, you should be aware that your ads will automatically begin being displayed on FindArticles beginning in May, unless you specifically opt out of this option.

For help integrating LookSmart or other lower tier search engines into your search marketing strategy, contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or email Info@WorkMedia.net.

Labels: content network, internet marketing, LookSmart, paid search, pay per click, ppc, search engine marketing, search marketing, sem, sponsored search, web site marketing

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

A Quick, Non-Mathematical Lesson on PPC Bidding Strategy

Here are some quick, non-mathematical thoughts regarding your bidding strategy.

There is a fair amount of research that indicated that, in general, the higher your ad ranking on a search engine results page, the higher your conversion rate. So there's one strategy - bid to get to the top. The problem, of course, is that you can end up in bidding wars which drive your bid prices way too high. Even if that does not happen, you could still end up damaging your return on ad spend by paying too much. It is a balancing act between paying a price that generates a reasonable ROAS and that generates enough conversions to make it worth doing to start with.

However...

There is also evidence that in some circumstances, especially with lower volume "long-tail" keywords, LOWER ad positions generate a higher conversion rate. So applying this to your overall strategy, you want to bid for higher rankings on your high volume, general purpose keywords and low for your low volume, more specific keywords.

Ultimately (as we have said many times), user behavior is completely unpredictable, so you won't know what works until you test different strategies and see.

If you would like some help with your pay-per-click bidding strategy, contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or email Info@WorkMedia.net.

Labels: internet marketing, pay-per-click, ppc, search engine marketing, search marketing, sem, sponsored search, web marketing, web site marketing

Monday, April 23, 2007

Introducing the Newest Member of the Work Media Family

Jerry Work here again. This weekend we succesfully produced the newest member of our family, Elizabeth Skyler Work, born 6:03PM Friday evening, weighing in at a healthy 7 pounds, 7 ounces, and 20.5 inches. Here is a picture of our family - my wife, Wendi, my son, Logan, myself, and of course, baby Lizzie, at the hospital - exhausted but happy.

Tomorrow we will get back to the main point of our blog - Internet marketing - but today I have a ton of work to catch up on, so I'm going to skip writing about marketing for today. I just wanted to show off my new baby.

Labels: internet marketing

Thursday, April 19, 2007

The State of Affairs at Work Media

Jerry Work here. These are exciting days around the Work Media headquarters. We have begun a search engine marketing consulting assignment for Bentley Systems, a CAD software company based in Philadelphia that is one of the most respected companies in the industry. We've been consulting with them on search engine optimization since January and will now be managing their American pay-per-click ads.

We have also closed several deals with smaller firms, such as Alboum & Associates, a well-respected language translation firm in Arlington, Virginia, and Choice Group Realty, a realtor that specializes in fine homes in the Phoenix/Scottsdale areas of Arizona.

We are even in serious discussions with a possible partner/investor, which will greatly increase our capacity and our ability to grow.

But best of all...tomorrow my wife enters the hospital to give birth to my daughter, Elizabeth Skyler Work. So my personal productivity will be way down for a few days while I tend to family matters. But fear not, my hard-working brother, Chris, will keep us going until I get back in action.

So in summary, these are exciting days around the Work Media camp, but it would be even more exciting if we heard from YOU! Contact us at Info@WorkMedia.net or 888-299-4837.

Labels: internet marketing

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

The Push Versus the Pull of Search Engine Marketing

While discussing the proper strategy for a new client who is in a brand new market, we realized that paid search would work, but that we would have to go about things a different way. The problem is there is no search traffic of any significance directly related to our client's business because noone even knows such a service exists. So how can you use paid search ads to get your message in front of your audience when there's no traffic to begin with?

Basically...you can't. At least not in the search engines. Not until some traffic materializes. In this instance, rather than try to display your ad to those already searching for you (the "pull"), you have to place your message on other properties where your target market lives, to make them aware that you exist (the "push").

In other words, rather than running search engine PPC ads, you need to use a site-targeted campaign to place your ads on web sites frequented by your target market. No matter how esoteric your offering, chances are very good that there are web sites that your market visits. That's how you can "push" your message, rather than trying to "pull" from existing search engine traffic. You should really do both, because there is the possibility that running your ads could create awareness of the existence of your offering, and your market might then begin searching for information about it, rather than clicking your ad. So hedge your bets.

We will discuss the specifics of implementing a site-targeted campaign in later posts, but we just wanted to point out that just because sufficient search traffic does not exist yet doesn't mean you can't still take advantage of paid traffic. It's the push versus the pull.

For help implementing an aggressive paid search campaign, contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or email Info@WorkMedia.net.

Labels: internet marketing, paid search, pay per click, pay-per-click, ppc, search engine marketing, search marketing, sem, sponsored search, web marketing, web site marketing

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

The Power of a Cohesive, Integrated Marketing Campaign

You need to think of all of your marketing efforts as an integrated campaign - TV, radio, print, search, online content networks...it all needs to support one another, and it all needs to be tightly focused on achieving some kind of objective.

Now that video is a mainstream feature of the Web, you can make multiple uses of any video you shoot. For instance, let's say you shoot a TV commercial. If the commercial has some element of humor or takes on a very serious topic, then you could re-package it as a video for use on YouTube and similar sites. With any luck, some people will find it, like it, and start passing it around. Then you could repackage it into a short video ad for use on the Google content network. We have found that, up to this point, video ads generate fewer clicks, but it may turn out that those clicks convert at a higher rate than text ads. We don't have the data to back that up yet, but it's a hunch.

As far as the marketing message itself, you should decide on a single converting event and create all of your marketing material so that it emphasizes that single event. Singularity of focus will go a long way toward helping you accomplish a goal with your marketing. If your message is watered down and you give people too many choices, your campaign will not be as powerful. For instance, let's say you have created some kind of free downloadable item that you want to give away on your web site as a means to gather email addresses. Your marketing related to this should all focus on the single event - getting people to your web site to fill out a form and download the item. Your TV ads should focus on it, your radio ads should focus on it, your print and online ads should focus on it.

Think about it: if all of your marketing is consistent in look and feel, and if it all points to a single event...that's powerful. Which do you think would make the most impact? A standalone TV ad asking the viewer to do one thing, a print ad asking them to something else, and a search engine ad asking something else again - or all three ads asking the viewer/reader to do the same thing? Just like singleness of purpose is a key to success in life, it's also a key to success with your marketing.

If you would like help implementing a cohesive, integrated marketing plan, contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or email Info@WorkMedia.net.

Labels: advertising, conversion strategy, marketing, search marketing, TV advertising, web marketing

Friday, April 13, 2007

Managing Your Pay-Per-Click Spend When Funds Are Limited: Spend It or Save It?

If you are on a very limited search engine marketing budget, you face two options when it comes to budgeting: either spread your budget out over the whole month (divide your monthly budget by 30) or spend it until it's gone, regardless if you use up your budget before the end of the month. Intuitively, you might think it is better to spread it out, but in our opinion, this is not really the case. Why? One word: data.

When you spread a small budget over a month's time, you are going to generate very little data for any one day, and it will take the whole month to generate sufficient data to do any kind of analysis. What kind of data are we talking about? Performance data. As we have said before, you do not know what keywords, ad copy, landing page copy, etc. will work. It doesn't matter how smart you are. The only way to know what works is by testing.

So rather than spreading your budget out over a month, go ahead and run your campaign wide open (within the confines of a responsible biding strategy). You will most certainly burn through your budget quicker, but if the campaign generates quality leads or sales, who cares? Why wait to generate new business? Why generate business next week when you can generate it today?

It's also better to do be able to analyze your campaign performance sooner than later, because you can then make changes to the next round of your campaign based on what you learn. Your next round should perform better than your first because you will have an idea of what works.

So...don't think of your budget in terms of an amount to spend over a month's time. Just think of it in terms of generating data and conversions as quickly as possible.

If you would like some help managing your pay-per-click campaigns, contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or email Info@WorkMedia.net.

Labels: Google Adwords, internet marketing, paid search, pay per click, ppc, search engine marketing, search marketing, sem, sponsored search, web marketing, web site marketing, Yahoo Search Marketing

Thursday, April 12, 2007

How to Use Magnolia.com to Promote Your Web Site

Ma.gnolia is a very nicely designed social bookmarking site that is easy to use. It has a Google Page Rank of 7, so it can be a nice boost to your site to acquire links from it.

To sign up:

1. Visit http://ma.gnolia.com.

2. Click the Join button on the top menu. The URL is: http://ma.gnolia.com/join.

3. Type in the required information and click “Join Free”.

4. In a few minutes you will receive an email from Ma.gnolia that you will click to
activate your account.

To bookmark a web page:

1. On the front page, there is a box on the right side of the screen labeled “Add a
bookmark”. Click the arrow beneath the textbox to expand the box to give you
options to add a title, description, and tags (separated by a comma).

2. Type in the information and click Save. Leave the checkbox labeled “Keep
bookmark private” unchecked.

3. As before, make use of the keywords someone would use to search for your web
site in the tags and in the title.

To see the top tags being used on the site, click the Tags link on the top menu. Then click
the tab labeled “Everyone’s Top Tags”.

To add the functionality to your browser to bookmark sites without having to go do the
Ma.gnolia web site, visit: http://ma.gnolia.com/support/bookmarklets.

We suggest that you create an account and bookmark every page on your site that has strong content. Hopefully some other people will see your bookmark, check out your site, and bookmark it themselves. Another strategy is to get people who know you or are associated with your business to create their own accounts and bookmark your site as well.

For help integrating social bookmarking sites into your online marketing strategy, contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or Info@WorkMedia.net.

Labels: content, content creation, internet marketing, ma.gnolia.com, marketing, social bookmarking, social media

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

100 Blog Posts! And What We've Learned From It

This is our 100th blog post! That is quite a milestone. When we first started publishing a blog (originally under the domain name "icanbefound.com"), we posted maybe an average of once every two weeks. We just couldn't get it going. It was only a few months ago that we decided to get serious about it and started posting an average of 4 times per week. And now we've reached blog number 100. Here are some things we have learned, both positive and negative:

1. Blogs generate search engine rankings. Once the search engine spiders (especially Google) became trained to the fact that our blog was a source of frequent new content, they started returning every day looking for content. As a result, we have generated all kinds of search engine rankings for keywords that just happen to be in our blog.

2. Communities don't just form around a blog. This is an area we have been weak. To build a community around your blog, you need to be an active member of the blogosphere. You need to read blog posts of others in your industry and post informative, thoughtful comments to their posts, along with a link back to your blog.

3. There are lots of ways to come up with content for a blog. One technique we have used a lot is to write large blocks of text, such as a chapter or section for a book, and then cut that text up into smaller blocks that you can use for blog posts. Another common technique is to comment on articles or other blog posts related to your industry. We have stayed away from personal-style blog posts where you talk about your feelings, interests, or things going on in your life - but if that serves your purposes, go for it.

4. Blogs are repurposable. Blog posts can become content for articles. Articles can become content for books, etc.

All in all, our blogging experience has been very positive, and we definitely encourage you to try it.

If you would like help creating a blog for your web site, contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or email Info@WorkMedia.net.

Labels: blog, blog marketing, blogging, blogging advice, internet marketing, web marketing, web site marketing

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Case Studies that Highlight the Importance of Landing Page Design

We recently came upon a web site with some interesting content:

http://www.marketingexperiments.com.

This site runs experiments to find marketing techniques that work well. The following page:

http://www.marketingexperiments.com/improving-website-conversion/optimizing-site-design.html

shows results from an experiment in which two different landing page designs were tested for a couple of different web sites - the original landing page design and a new landing page designed to meet the expectations of the visitors to the site, based on research of what those expectations are.

In one experiment, the landing page of a service business web site was changed to meet customer expectations in terms of industry-specific visual appearance. The new landing page converted over 12% better. Not bad. In a year's time, that would represent a significant amount of revenue.

In another experiment, a new landing page was tested that used anxiety-reducing elements like testimonials and guarantees. The new landing page converted over 70% better, even though the original landing page looked very professional and was consistent with other landing pages in the industry.

So what is the lesson?

First off, know your customers' expectations. Not just in terms of service and whatnot, but what their expectations are in terms of colors, fonts, design, etc.

Second, use whatever it takes to put your prospects at ease - testimonials, guarantees, anything that proves that what you say is true and that you stand by your word.

Third...you need to create landing pages! Period!

For help creating landing pages for your search engine marketing campaigns, contact Work Media at 888-299-437 or email Info@WorkMedia.net.

Labels: internet marketing, landing page, pay per click, ppc, search engine marketing, search marketing, sem, sponsored search, web site marketing

Friday, April 06, 2007

Copywriters to Study to Improve Your Marketing

Today we thought we would tell you about some people whose work you need to seek out and study. Copywriting is possibly the single most valuable skill you can develop to be successful in our marketing, and the following list is just a few of the all-time greats whom you can study to learn how to write strong sales copy.

Dan Kennedy. One of our favorites. Dan is a marketing genius who has a straightforward (sometimes mean) style and is very entertaining to read and listen to. He has lots of products for sale at his web site. You can also find Dan's books in bookstores, with titles such as No B.S. Wealth Building for Entrepreneurs. http://www.dankennedy.com

Brian Keith Voiles. Brian wrote what is possibly the single best book on copywriting, called “Advertising Magic”. It is for sell on lots of web sites. We couldn’t figure out the official web site for the book (Brian doesn't really seem to do much self-promotion). But there are lots of places to buy it online if you search.

Jay Abraham. Possibly the top and most expensive marketing expert in the world. He also has lots of products for sale at http://www.abraham.com. His products are expensive, so you might want to seek out used copies of his books and audio material.

Claude Hopkins. In the 1920’s, Hopkins wrote a book called Scientific Advertising. It is a brilliant, ageless book that boils advertising down to a set of principles that will greatly increase your chance of success. You can find it for free if you search for it online.

There are many more fine copywriters, but if you look into the work of the above men, it will set you on the road to being a much better copywriter. Strong ad writing is very, very important to the success of your Internet marketing campaign. So we suggest you put the work into getting better at it.

For help writing copy for your marketing campaigns, contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or email Info@WorkMedia.net.

Labels: advertising, copywriting, internet marketing, marketing, web marketing, web site marketing

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

A Real World Example of Good Online Marketing - Right in my Inbox

An email I got this morning reminded me of a couple of good Internet marketing principles, so I thought I would talk about it.

Not too long ago, I owned an old Dodge Ram truck. I bought a part for it that I had not been able to find from a web site called AutoPartsWarehouse.com. Since then, I have received emails from them fairly regularly. Most of the emails are general in nature.

Today I got one with the following headline:

Get 5% OFF on all DODGE RAMCHARGER parts for 5 Days only + FREE Shipping

This email and headline illustrate a couple of important points about successful marketing:

They are using segmentation to send me emails based specifically on my past purchases. They know I have bought parts for a Dodge Ram, so they are sending me messages about Dodge Ram parts.
The offer is specific and contains a deadline. Deadlines are important because without them your prospects will delay on making a decision. I only have 5 days to save 5% and get free shipping.
It contains the word "FREE", which is one of the most powerful words you can use in your marketing.

How could you apply these principles to your own marketing? Do you segment your customers and send them specific messages based on their past purchases? You should.

Do you carefully craft your marketing messages to get your prospects' attention? And do you place time limits on your special offer?

Do you email past customers on a regular basis?

These are all very basic principles of modern marketing, but if you just master the basics, you will be VERY successful.

If you need some help crafting a thorough Internet marketing plan, contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or email Info@WorkMedia.net.

Labels: ad writing, advertising, copywriting, email marketing, internet marketing, marketing

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Google Gets in the TV Game with New Online TV Ad Purchasing System

Google is making a lot of people very happy...and some people very sad. In a move that could begin a momentous swing for the way TV ad space is purchased, Google has announced a partnership with EchoStar Communications to launch a new system for purchasing ad space on TV channels on the EchoStar network.

In the new system, TV ad space will be auctioned on a CPM basis using an online interface much like the current AdWords system. Within 24 hours, the advertiser will know if he won the auction, where the ads ran, how many ads ran, how many households saw the ad, and EVEN IF THE HOUSEHOLD WATCHED THE ENTIRE AD OR ONLY PART OF IT. Using this information, advertisers can make adjustments to their campaign until they find the optimum combination of TV channels, times, and ad creative. In the world of TV advertising, that kind of quick feedback is unheard of. It combines the power of on-the-fly pay-per-click campaign tweaking with the massive reach of broadcast TV.

Google claims that there will also be a happy result for the consumer in the form of more relevant advertising, as advertisers adjust their campaigns based on the feedback they receive. To us, the argument from the consumer side is weak because consumers are already flooded with 10 thousand commercials a day - we don't think it matters to consumers if they view more relevant commercials. In addition, TV commercials are often filtered out or bypassed anyway. Which brings us to another point: is TV advertising dead anyway? Is Google beating a dead horse?

The answer is "no". Even if Google is entering an industry that is declining, TV advertising in some form or another will always exist. By giving advertisers a strong platform to place ads, and much better, quicker data about the performance of their ads, Google is bringing new fire to an industry that badly needed it. And eventually the world of TV will figure out a way to force-feed ads to consumers who zip through commercials...and Google will be there with its technology, making it easy and efficient to use whatever the next phase of TV advertising looks like.

In addition to the ad purchasing platform, Google will run a marketplace to hook up TV advertisers with TV commercial producers. Similar to Spot Runner (discussed yesterday), it gives any small business the ability to purchase an already-created commercial and personally brand it - drastically cutting ad production costs.

We are excited about the new TV ad platform because it moves the world of advertising closer to one universal system in which advertisers bid on ads to run on-line and off-line, with almost instant feedback to improve their ad campaigns. And you better know Work Media will be on the front-lines, helping advertisers figure this stuff out.

For help creating your own state-of-the-art marketing campaign, contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or email Info@WorkMedia.net.

Labels: advertising, cable TV, google, Google Adwords, internet marketing, marketing, TV advertising

Monday, April 02, 2007

Low Cost Ways to Integrate TV Advertising into Your Marketing Mix

We're diverging slightly today from our normal course. We're all about Internet marketing here at Work Media world headquarters. But we're not just Internet geeks...we're marketers. We have spent a lot of time studying all forms of marketing, and not just the on-line variety. With that in mind, we thought today we would talk about a couple of cheap ways to do TV advertising.

In general, we are opposed to mass market "image" advertising. You can spend a whole lot of money for very little results. It is also far less measurable than online advertising. However, if you are careful about how and where you buy your air time and use TV advertising in conjunction with Internet or direct marketing, it can be a powerful addition to your marketing mix.

The two low-cost ways to advertise on TV that we are going to talk about today are: 1. Making your own commercial and purchasing discounted air time; and 2. use the services of a one-stop TV ad aggregator.

To do things on your own, you will first need to find a way to create your own commercial. Given today's cheap cameras and video editing software, this is much more feasible that it once was. But you will probably get a better result if you seek the assistance of someone who knows what he is doing.

Assuming you are able to create the commercial, the next step is buying airtime. First you should decide in advance where you would like your commercial to run. You need to target prospects who are strong candidates for your product or service. If you run a financial-related business, for instance, your best bet may be something like MSNBC - a channel that focuses on financial news.

You should try to establish a relationship with a salesperson at the TV station. If you can find one who is young and still trying to build his client portfolio, then you have a better chance at getting some deals. Once you have a relationship established, make it known that you need discount airtime and are flexible with regards to when your ads run, as long as it is on the appropriate channels. You may be able to pick up discounted airtime near the end of the month. TV stations fill unsold airtime with commercials of existing advertisers - for free. They would rather sell it to you at a discount than give it away for free.

The other option is to use the services of a company like Spot Runner. Spot Runner lets you customize a pre-created commercial with your own logo and voice over, and then lets you pick specific airtimes on specific channels. The interesting thing is that they can help you target your ads down to the neighborhood. The company already has everything in place - all you have to do is fill in the details.

One strong budget-minded use of TV advertising is to direct the viewer to your web site. Your web site can explain way more about your business than you have time to explain in a 30 or 60 second commercial. However, don't just direct viewers to your front page. Create some kind of special offer, create a landing page devoted to it, and promote the URL to the landing page in your ads.

For help creating an aggressive, multi-pronged marketing plan, contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or email Info@WorkMedia.net.

Labels: advertising, branding, cable TV, internet marketing, marketing, TV advertising, web marketing, web site marketing